Introducing The Earnies!

Almost every aspect of public relations has changed – the media environment, spheres of influence, the role of the audience and the tactics we use. However, all of these changes do have one common thread – the importance of earned attention.

Though the definition of “earned media” has evolved, the concept continues to grow in importance. Earned attention gained through interaction on social networks, for example, can multiply the audience for a message. Earned media generated when a prominent journalist or blogger writes about your organization can trigger a wave of credible exposure in social media. And all of this is good for search engine rankings, word of mouth and accross-the-board buzz.

So today, PR Newswire is announcing The Earnies, the first community-chosen awards program dedicated to earned media campaigns executed through social media channels.

The Earnies award program, which is open to individual practitioners as well as brands and organizations, focuses on the unique approach and strategy used to implement a campaign. Hosted on the AGILITY@work web site, all submissions will be reviewed by an independent panel of social media thought leaders. Currently on the panel are:

From a shortlist of finalists selected by the panel, final winners will be determined by community voting through social channels – namely, you!

We’ll be judging the following categories:

Best Use of Video in Social Media

Best Connection to Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook Audience

Best Case of “Lemons-to-Lemonade”

We Can’t Believe That Worked!

Best Outcome Based on Listening/Monitoring/Measurement

The Earnies Grand Prix.

Entry deadline: December 20th!

To learn more about the awards program, review the categories, read about the panelists and to enter a submission, visit AGILITY@work. The deadline to submit is December 20th, 2011. Join the conversation and follow the progress of the awards process on Twitter @AgilityAtWork. Final winners will be announced via @AgilityAtWork in early 2012.